Juddmonte homebred PISTE NOIRE (Diesis [GB]), an unraced full sister to
champion and Banstead Manor Stud sire Three Valleys from the family of blue-hen
mare Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi), was the star turn at Wednesday’s penultimate
session of Tattersalls’ December Sale in Newmarket selling for 340,000 guineas.
Grant Pritchard-Gordon and Paul Makin, and agent Tom Ryan and Charlie
Gordon-Watson all made a play for the sophomore, but it was Blandford
Bloodstock’s Tom Goff who secured Lot No. 1889 with a single bid. Goff was
standing alongside Coolmore’s Paul Shanahan while bidding.
“It’s an outstanding page and she’s a full sister to, in my opinion, one of
the best two-year-olds we’ve ever seen,” Goff said. “His Coventry S. (Eng-G3)
win was breathtaking. She will be an enormous asset to any leading breeding
establishment.”
Sunderland Holding Inc., the breeding entity of Ling Tsui and family, have
been trying for several choice mares this week through advisor John Clarke and
paid 270,000 guineas for Darley castoff BITOOH (Diktat). She was offered in foal
to King’s Best. Consigned as Lot 1767, Bitooh could be covered by the Tsuis’
champion Sea the Stars. Paddy Twomey was underbidder on the mare, who is a
half-sister to this season’s Irish Derby (Ire-G1) second-place finisher Golden
Sword (High Chaparral [Ire]). She shares her granddam with Oaks (Eng-G1) heroine
Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells).
“There are various options about where she could go and Mrs. Tsui will have a
think, but it’s certainly possible that she could go to Sea the Stars,” Clarke
offered. “I know the mare’s family well as we used to look after the great
granddam Soumana (Pharley) at the Irish National Stud for a Swiss client, Dieter
Hofemeier.”
John Tyrrell of BBA Ireland was another standing with Paul Shanahan as he
successfully bid 260,000 guineas for this season’s Newbury stakes winner APPLE
CHARLOTTE (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]).
“She’s a beauty and I think, with her form, she’s something to go forward
with,” said Tyrrell, who outbid Matt Coleman of Anthony Stroud Bloodstock on
Lot
1967. “I’m not sure what the plan is with her, there’s a possibility she could
go to Australia and I don’t know whether she will keep racing for a bit or be
bred.”
Tony Nerses, advisor to Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar, was another who
bid 260,000 guineas when getting the Grangecon Stud homebred CRYSTAL SWAN (Dalakhani).
Offered in foal to the 2005 Derby winner Motivator as Lot 1821, she will be
covered by Al Homaizi and Al Sagar’s 2007 Epsom hero Authorized next year.
“She’ll be a nice mating for Authorized, that’s what we have been looking
for,” Nerses revealed. “We usually keep the progeny of our mares to race and I
was trying to get one that was in foal rather than a filly, that way you can get
something back. She’ll be kept at New England Stud, where all our mares are
based.”